Subject
Abolition of the Department of Russian Literature at Cornell (fwd)
Date
Body
From: Gavriel Shapiro <gs33@cornell.edu>, Chairman, Dept. of Russian
Literature at Cornell
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has recently informed us of the
Administration's plans to phase out the Russian Literature Department within
the next two-three years because of the need, as he put it, "for a new and
severe financial retrenchment." The Cornell Administration intends to
accomplish this by retiring the three senior faculty, George Gibian,
Patricia Carden, and Savely Senderovich, and by situating Nancy Pollak and
Gavriel Shapiro in the Department of Comparative Literature. The Dean was
unwilling to listen to any proposals for a reorganization that stopped short
of complete abolition. In the meantime, the Administration has decided to
withdraw the two graduate fellowships, which it promised to our Department
in December of 1996, merely allowing the existing graduate students to
complete their degrees.
It appears that in making this decision, the Administration completely
disregarded Cornell's century-long tradition of interest in Russian
literature. Cornell's first President, Andrew Dickson White (1865-85), who
later served as American minister to Russia (1892-94) and who met there with
Leo Tolstoy, laid the foundation for the Russian library collection at
Cornell. Half a century later, Vladimir Nabokov taught Russian literature
at Cornell for more than ten years (1948-59) and inculcated in his students
the fascination with his native culture. Since 1961, Cornell University has
developed its Russian Literature program, both undergraduate and graduate,
which has become among the best programs in the nation.
At the time, when Cornell University makes preparations to celebrate
Nabokov's centenary, it is bitterly ironic that its Administration intends
to destroy the program to whose creation Nabokov himself so much contributed.
Those who are willing to support us in our protest against this
short-sighted decision, please address letters to:
Philip E. Lewis, Dean
College of Arts and Sciences
147 Goldwin Smith Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: as_dean@cornell.edu
Walter I. Cohen, Dean
The Graduate School
384 Caldwell Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: wic1@cornell.edu
Don M. Randell, Provost
300 Day Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: dmr4@cornell.edu
Hunter R. Rawlings, III
President
300 Day Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail (via his executive assistant, Ann K. Huntzinger): akh2@cornell.edu
Valerie J. Bunce, Co-Director
Institute of European Studies
120 Uris Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: vjb2@cornell.edu
Gavriel Shapiro, Chairman
Department of Russian Literature
236 Goldwin Smith Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: gs33@cornell.edu
Literature at Cornell
The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has recently informed us of the
Administration's plans to phase out the Russian Literature Department within
the next two-three years because of the need, as he put it, "for a new and
severe financial retrenchment." The Cornell Administration intends to
accomplish this by retiring the three senior faculty, George Gibian,
Patricia Carden, and Savely Senderovich, and by situating Nancy Pollak and
Gavriel Shapiro in the Department of Comparative Literature. The Dean was
unwilling to listen to any proposals for a reorganization that stopped short
of complete abolition. In the meantime, the Administration has decided to
withdraw the two graduate fellowships, which it promised to our Department
in December of 1996, merely allowing the existing graduate students to
complete their degrees.
It appears that in making this decision, the Administration completely
disregarded Cornell's century-long tradition of interest in Russian
literature. Cornell's first President, Andrew Dickson White (1865-85), who
later served as American minister to Russia (1892-94) and who met there with
Leo Tolstoy, laid the foundation for the Russian library collection at
Cornell. Half a century later, Vladimir Nabokov taught Russian literature
at Cornell for more than ten years (1948-59) and inculcated in his students
the fascination with his native culture. Since 1961, Cornell University has
developed its Russian Literature program, both undergraduate and graduate,
which has become among the best programs in the nation.
At the time, when Cornell University makes preparations to celebrate
Nabokov's centenary, it is bitterly ironic that its Administration intends
to destroy the program to whose creation Nabokov himself so much contributed.
Those who are willing to support us in our protest against this
short-sighted decision, please address letters to:
Philip E. Lewis, Dean
College of Arts and Sciences
147 Goldwin Smith Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: as_dean@cornell.edu
Walter I. Cohen, Dean
The Graduate School
384 Caldwell Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: wic1@cornell.edu
Don M. Randell, Provost
300 Day Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: dmr4@cornell.edu
Hunter R. Rawlings, III
President
300 Day Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail (via his executive assistant, Ann K. Huntzinger): akh2@cornell.edu
Valerie J. Bunce, Co-Director
Institute of European Studies
120 Uris Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: vjb2@cornell.edu
Gavriel Shapiro, Chairman
Department of Russian Literature
236 Goldwin Smith Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-3201
e-mail: gs33@cornell.edu